Fox Reveals All-Star 'Rent Live' Cast, Featuring Vanessa Hudgens, Tinashe
Fox's upcoming live staging of the Tony-winning musical "Rent" will feature an all-star ensemble, with the network unveiling the full cast on Monday.
The eclectic group includes a mix of pop stars, Broadway vets, and television favorites, and features several faces already familiar to fans of the recent live musical TV trend. Here's a breakdown of who's who in the cast, per The Hollywood Reporter:
- Vanessa Hudgens will play Maureen Johnson, the outgoing performance artist who’s not afraid to take on the establishment.
- Kiersey Clemons ("Dope") will play Joanne Jefferson, Maureen's girlfriend and an Ivy League-educated lawyer.
- Brandon Victor Dixon ("Hamilton") is set as Tom Collins, the computer scientist who returns to New York after being expelled from MIT.
- Valentina ("RuPaul's Drag Race") will play Angel Dumont Schunard, a young drag queen and street percussionist who embraces life and lives it to its fullest.
- Jordan Fisher ("Hamilton") is the central character of Mark Cohen, an aspiring filmmaker, who serves as the show’s narrator, while filming the lives of his friends.
- Brennin Hunt ("Nashville") plays Roger Davis, a struggling musician and Mark’s roommate and best friend.
- Singer Tinashe will portray Mimi Marquez, the dancer who struggles with addiction.
- R&B star Mario will take on the role of Benjamin Coffin III, Mark and Roger’s former roommate-turned-landlord, who is after their rent.
- Keala Settle (breakout star of "The Greatest Showman") will be part of the ensemble, and perform the solo to the show's most famous tune, "Seasons of Love."
We're happy Hudgens will be returning to the Fox live musical fold, after her excellent performance in "Grease: Live." And we're especially excited that Fisher, another "Grease: Live" alum, will be getting such a major role this time, after his scene- (and heart-) stealing turn in that show.
Thankfully, we won't have to wait 525,600 minutes for "Rent: Live" -- it's set to debut on Fox on January 27.
[via: The Hollywood Reporter]